"We ought to have something large to wash them in," said Maggie. "What can we find?"
Now, Mrs. Bradford had a new cook, who had only been in the house for two or three days; and, as the children were seldom allowed to go into the kitchen, she was as yet quite a stranger to them. This cook had not a good temper, but she was very neat, and that morning she had been making a great scrubbing and polishing of her tins, after which she put them out in the sun. Looking about for something in which to wash their peach-stones, Maggie and Bessie saw these tins, and among them a bright new colander.
"Oh, that's just what we want," said Maggie. "Can we take it, Patrick?" she asked of the good-natured waiter, who was cleaning knives in the area.
"'Deed, and ye may," said Patrick, who thought his little ladies must have everything they asked for.
Much delighted, the children filled the colander with peach-stones, and, carrying it to the hydrant, turned on the water, thinking it fine fun to see it stream through the holes of the colander.
Meanwhile Flossy, who was running about the yard, putting his nose into everything, found a quantity of muffin-rings, and thinking that these would be good things for him to play with, soon had them rolling about in every direction; but our little girls were too busy to see that he was in mischief.
It took some time to wash all the peach-stones, but they were done at last, and just arranged again in regular rows upon the boards, when the cook came out to take in her tins. Angry enough she was when she saw the rings scattered around, and the clean, bright colander smeared with sand and gravel; and terribly she scolded.
"How dare ye!" she said to Maggie and Bessie. "I'll teach ye to touch my tins."
"They're not yours," said Bessie, "they are mamma's. Maggie and I were with her the other day when she bought that basin with holes in, and she only lent them to you; and, cook, we don't be talked to in that way; mamma don't allow it."